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DIRECTIVE No

DIRECTIVE No.814-TTg OF DECEMBER 12, 1995 OF THE PRIME MINISTER ON INTENSIFYING THE MANAGEMENT AND RE-ESTABLISH- MENT OF ORDER AND DISCIPLINE IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND CULTURAL SERVICES, AND PROMOTING THE ELIMINATION OF A NUMBER OF GRAVE SOCIAL EVILS

I.-

The cultural activities in our country have made new steps forward in many fields in recent years. More attention has been paid to the preservation and development of the national culture, many forms of traditional culture have been restored, and new kinds of cultural activity have developed in many localities. Cultural exchange with foreign countries is broadening continually. The level of cultural enjoyment of the people has been raised further.

However, many unhealthy manifestations have appeared in the cultural activities and services, and a number of social evils are exerting noxious impact on society. Many kinds of video and music tapes and discs, books and newspapers and other printed matters with decadent, pornographic or violence-inciting contents have been smuggled and circulated in society. Right in the country, not a few noxious cultural products are produced that are ravaging the traditional values of the nation. The campaign of mass mobilization for a civilized way of life has not been given due attention and in general has brought negligible results. Loose control of the advertising activities has been observed in many places. Most alarming is the occurrence of not a few serious crimes, many of which were perpetrated by minors, as well as more incidences of divorce, broken families and street children. Social evils like prostitution, drug addiction and gambling are continuing in various forms at the brothels, drug injection dens or camouflaged in the hotels, restaurants, karaoke bars, dancing halls and beer pubs. The number of persons affected with HIV/AIDS is increasing rapidly.

The causes of the above situation are many, but first of all it is because the specialized agencies, the different responsible branches and levels of the State in this domain have not seen all the serious harms of the decadent culture and the social evils, hence have looseneed their control and cared little for campaigning among the population to eliminate these evils from social life.

With a view to realizing the objective of economic and cultural development, raising the people's educational level, preserving the national identity, creating a harmonious relation between economic development and cultural development and a healthy social environment to promote the cause of renewal, all branches and levels must deeply grasp the Resolution of the 4th Plenum of the VIIth Central Committee and Directive No.321-CT of November 17, 1989 of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Directive No.33-CT/TW of March 1st, 1994 of the Secretariat, various Laws, Resolutions and Decrees of the Government concerning cultural activities and the prevention and fight against social evils, and concentrate efforts on the above campaign on a national scale. This is aimed at the following:

- To promote the elimination of the noxious cultural products, first of all those with a depraved, pornographic and violence-inciting content in the form of movies, video and music tapes and discs, books, newspapers, calendars, pictures, photos and advertisements conducted by the cultural establishments and centers (theaters, cinemas, clubs, dancing halls, karaoke bars), hotels, restaurants...

- To promote the elimination of prostitution, drug abuse, gambling, gambling on the two last numbers of the State-organized lotteries; mete out severe punishments to the owners of brothels, the procurers of sex, drugs, the owners of gambling dens and organizers of gambling on State lotteries, and all those who misuse the organization of cultural and entertainment activities to make illegal profits.

In order to achieve the above objectives, it is necessary to carry out well the following:

- To campaign widely among the various strata of the population to take part consciously in the elimination and destruction of the noxious cultural products, in the observance of the prescriptions of law, and condemn and detect illegal acts contrary to the ethical traditions of the nation.

- To ensure close control by State managerial agencies under the leadership of the Party committees. To educate and encourage cadres, Party members and State employees to be exemplary in the observance of this Directive.

- To pay more attention to developing the national, modern and humanist culture, to preserve the fine customs and habits, to receive the quintessence of the culture of mankind; at the same time impose a strict ban on the dissemination of decadent culture contrary to the ethics, morality and the fine lifestyle of the Vietnamese.

- To achieve close cooperation among the branches, associations and make adequate preparations in the legal and organizational aspects and the necessary force to join the struggle, and to work out an appropriate plan for concentrated, uniform and comprehensive guidance of the campaign with special attention to the key localities.

II.-

The campaign shall concentrate on the following main points:

1. Concerning the circulation of films, video and music tapes and discs, books, newspapers, calendars, pictures and photos:

More attention shall be paid to the production and import of films, video and music tapes and discs with healthy contents and high artistic quality to meet the needs of the people. To improve the organization and activities of the grassroots establishments and units engaged in the production and import of cultural products; closely control the circulation of the films, video and music tapes and discs.

To strictly ban the circulation of films, video and music tapes and discs, books, newspapers, pictures and photos with a depraved, pornographic and violence-inciting content. To confiscate and destroy cultural products with such contents, and mete out severe sanctions against the offending organizations and individuals.

2. Concerning the activities of the cultural establishments and centers (theaters, cinemas, clubs, dancing halls, karaoke bars...):

To ensure a healthy and quality cultural content, to ensure an orderly hygienic and cultured life style. To mete out severe sanctions against those who misuse the cultural activities to disseminate depraved, pornographic and violence-inciting cultural products, and all disguised forms of prostitution, drug abuse, gambling and gambling on State lotteries.

3. To work out concrete regulations for cultural and service activities in the hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, beer pubs, cafeterias...

To mete out severe sanctions against the owners of brothels, the procurers of prostitution, drugs, gambling places including their disguised forms. To mete out severe sanctions against those officials and State employees and the persons in charge of the State establishments, the armed forces, the socio-political associations who take part in or condone these activities.

4. Concerning the public places (streets, public parks, railway stations, sea ports, bus stations...):

Step by step to build and upgrade the infrastructure, ensure order and hygiene at the public parks, railway stations, ports, bus stations, public recreation centers of the people and children. To increase the management and prevent and eliminate prostitution, drug injection, gambling, gambling on State lotteries, and all acts against public order and hygiene.

To strictly observe the regulations concerning advertising activities, and signboards and bills at public places.

5. Concerning gambling and gambling based on State lotteries:

To conduct education among the population, to provide them with adequate understanding of law, to make them see clearly that gambling and gambling on State lotteries are unlawful acts; at the same time to improve the organization of State lotteries.

The State managerial agencies must intensify their social control activities, conduct investigations and studies in order to have a firm grasp of the gamblers and those who gamble on State lotteries, classify and draw up their lists in order to handle in time all violations. To conduct searches in order to eliminate the places of gambling and gambling on State lotteries. To mete out sanctions against the gamblers and mete out severe punishments on the operators of gambling dens.

III.-

The Ministries, the ministerial-level Agencies, the Agencies attached to the Government and the People's Committees in the provinces and cities shall, within their functions and competence, have to guide the implementation of the Decree of the Government and the Directive of the Prime Minister on this question at their Ministries, services and localities. The Ministries, services and localities must regard this as a central task in the year and the following years and associate it closely with the realization of the other main tasks in order to concentrate on the guidance and direction and organization of the implementation.

The Ministries and the local People's Committees are entrusted with the following tasks:

1. The Ministry of Culture and Information:

a/ To preside over and cooperate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Health, the General Tourism Department and the General Customs Department to direct the implementation of their managerial tasks according to law and the existing regulations concerning cultural and service activities.

b/ To cooperate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to campaign for the fight against the noxious cultural products, the elimination of social evils in the schools, the people's organizations, the economic and cultural organizations, the army and police units. To collaborate with the same Ministry in popularizing widely the contents of the Decree and the Directive on this question so that all strata of the population and each citizen and family can understand and respond to and willingly carry out the regulations. To guide the mass media in conducting regular information and publicity for this campaign.

c/ To collaborate with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Trade to organize the strict control and punishment of the violations of order and discipline in the cultural activities and services.

d/ To adopt plans and measures to expand the scale and raise the quality of the cultural activities, to supply video and music tapes and discs with healthy contents in order to step by step meet the demand of the people; to provide professional guidance to the film showing establishments and the public cultural activity centers.

e/ To organize and rearrange the cultural activity and service establishments of the Cultural and Information Service. To increase the force directly engaged in the management of cultural activities at the grassroots.

2. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs:

To carry out the tasks and powers defined by the Government in Resolutions No.05-CP and No.06-CP of January 29, 1993, and Decree No.01 of January 11, 1994, to guide and urge the ministries, services and localities to intensify the prevention and fight against social evils.

3. The Ministry of the Interior:

To preside over and to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Health, the General Tourism Department to define clearly the responsibility in controlling and handling the violations in the domain of cultural activities and services, and in the domain of social evils.

4. The Ministry of Finance:

To work out a draft decree about the lottery activities in Vietnam and submit it to the Government, to rectify the lottery activities throughout the country in order to ensure the healthy objective of the issue of loterries, and prevent the misuse of lotteries for gambling. The whole revenue from the lotteries shall be used only to invest in the construction of public utility projects and for healthcare and education in the localities, not for any other purposes.

5. The Ministry of Justice:

To preside over and together with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Finance to prepare a draft decree to be issued by the Prime Minister concerning the handling of violations in the cultural activities and services and the illegal activities such as drug abuse, prostitution, gambling and gambling on State lotteries.

6. The Ministries and Agencies attached to the Government:

Depending on the functions, tasks and powers of each Ministry and service, they shall work out plans to direct the management of the cultural activities and services and promote the combat against social evils within the scope of their managerial responsibility.

7. The People's Committees in the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government:

In strict execution of their functions, tasks and powers of comprehensive management of the economic, cultural and social activities in the locality and on the basis of the policies of the Party and the State and the specific directives of the Ministries, and the practical situation in the locality, to work out a common plan and direct the forces in the territory of the province or city to intensify the control of the cultural activities and services and step up the fight against social evils.

It is necessary to focus direction on the key localities in order to soon create a good change for the better in these areas. To solicit the leadership of the Party committees and persuade the social organizations to build a movement of preserving the fine customs and habits and oppose the noxious cultural products and the depraved way of life.

It is hereby proposed that the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the central leaderships of the mass organizations to closely cooperate with the Government and the various Ministries to guide the Front and mass organizations at all levels to join forces with the administration to lead this campaign to success.

IV.-

From now to the end of December 1995, the Ministries, the ministerial level Agencies, the Agencies attached to the Government, the People's Committees in the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government should urgently speed up the preparations in terms of plan of guidance and organization of the forces, training of cadres and dissemination of the directives of the Party and Government among all agencies of the Party, the administration and the mass organizations.

From early January 1996, there will be widespread dissemination and explanation among the people, among the members of the mass organizations, on the mass media about the policies and undertakings and measures to conduct this campaign.

From the 1st of February 1996, the State will control and handle the violations of order and discipline in the cultural activities and services and step up the elimination of social evils throughout the country as prescribed in the decrees of the Government.

To set up the Standing Committee to direct the implementation of this Directive and the other Decisions of the Government on the intensification of the management of the cultural activities and services, and step up the fight against social evils. This Standing Committee shall be headed by the Minister of Culture and Information and have as its members a Vice-Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, a Vice-Minister of Trade, a Vice-Minister of Justice, a Vice-Minister of the Interior, a Vice-Chairman of the Office of the Government, and the Head of the General Tourism Department. The standing agency is the Ministry of Culture and Information. Depending on the requirements of the work, the Standing Committee for guidance may invite the representatives of the Party and the mass organizations to join in the Committee.

The provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall set up their own Guidance Committees headed by the President or Vice President of the People's Committee. This Committee may coordinate its work with the Committee for the prevention and fight against social evils already established in the locality.

Right upon receipt of this Directive, the Ministries, the ministerial level Agencies, the Agencies attached to the Government and the People's Committees in the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall, along with working out the plan of guidance for the campaign, set out to settle a number of really urgent and feasible problems in the fight against the noxious cultural products and social evils within the responsibility and competence of the Ministries and the local administration.

The Ministers, the Heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the Heads of the agencies attached to the Government, the Presidents of the People's Committees of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall have to implement this Directive.

The Prime Minister

VO VAN KIET